Top level meeting fails to yield result as Maoists float new proposal

The UCPN (Maoist) has proposed 10 federal states based on ethnicity and geography on Thursday.

In the top-level meeting of the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN (UML) and Madhesi Front held at Constituent Assembly building, Baneshwor, this evening, the Maoist party put forth fresh proposal of 10-state model.

The Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML rejected the proposal saying that it is against the agreement reached among the major parties to carve six to eight federal states during Hattiban meeting.

NC vice president Ram Chandra Poudel said that the Maoist proposal, which "came suddenly, had made them serious.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML has called central committee meeting for Friday to form its position on the Maoist proposal.

Although the parties have reached tentative understanding on electoral system, citizenship and judicial system they are yet to formalise it. They are still clearly divided on the most contentious issue - the federal model - as well as form of governance. nepalnews.com